Tag Archives: James Shields

It has become a yearly tradition that we look at all the former MLB All-Stars that aren’t having very good years.

The season is a little more than half over and it’s not too late for some of these players to bounce back and turn their seasons around. You can look at our Un-All-Star team article last year, many bounced back and finished strong.

Since I’m an active fantasy baseball owner, it didn’t take me long to make this list. A few of these guys were on my teams early this season, but were quickly dropped. I spent most of my time just baffled that some of these guys were actually All-Stars at one point.

The old benchmark for an All-Star was thrown out with the bathwater when Bud Selig decided each team must have at least one representative in the All-Star Game.

The San Diego Padres aren’t destined for great things in 2016. Their roster needed a lot of massaging to make it competitive. GM A.J. Preller tried to add some low-cost pieces this offseason to do just that.

The Padres are expected to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. They do have some pitchers that could net them some decent prospects. I expect Tyson Ross to garner the most attention from teams this season. A bidding war could bump up the price.

San Diego was quite busy this offseason. Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko are the only starters from last season that will be in the starting lineup for San Diego. They’ve traded a lot of youth to acquire players like Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, but they now have a team that could make the postseason.

The Padres are in the unfortunate position of being in the same division as the Dodgers and the defending World Series champions, the Giants. San Francisco doesn’t look as opposing, but the Dodgers might be the best team in the Majors. The road to a postseason berth will be a difficult one.

Can San Diego contend this season or will they face the same growing pains the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays faced after completing so many offseason trades?

The Kansas City Royals have been in the basement of the AL Central for a long time. They have picked near the top of the draft for the last decade, but it never translated into Major League success. Some of their top picks have worked out (Alex Gordon) and others did not develop into All-Star level talent (Luke Hochevar).

Kansas City had their first season over .500 since 2003 and their best overall season since 1992. The young talent is the reason why they are having success. Building through the draft is the only way a small market team can contend today.

Will Mike Moustakas have a breakout season? Can Jason Vargas adequately replace Ervin Santana in the starting rotation?

The Kansas City Royals made one of the biggest trades this offseason. They traded a package featuring top prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay for two MLB-level starters James Shields and Wade Davis. Does this movie make you believe the Royals are ready to win now?

The Royals have not shown any signs they are ready to compete in the AL Central. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer were once top prospects, but haven’t made ways in the Majors. There are holes in their team that won’t be fixed by the end of the season.

Will the Royals trade Jeff Francoeur for major-league ready players or prospects to build toward the future?